Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Stanley Kunitz Robin Redbreast Poem


Myself and Paddy braved the weather last evening to attend a LitLab meal in Virginia. Roads passable, countryside strange under snow, food excellent, company and conversation great. We read poems, exchanged books in a Kris Kindle and talked poetry, plans, vicars, drama, absent members and the heating properties of whitethorn.

One member mentioned that she had been reading the American poet Stanley Kunitz and was very impressed. I was aware of him but had never read any of his work. He was never as popular on this side as his fellow poets Berryman and Lowell. Anyway this morning she emailed me this photo of a Cavan robin and a link to this wonderful Robin Redbreast poem by Kunitz.

Now that I think about it the American Robin is a different creature to the European robin but let's ignore such petty details.

3 comments:

Niamh said...

Stunning poem, thanks for the link - not very chirpy though!

Michael Farry said...

Yes indeed, nothing of the winter wonderland about it. Except that today it was bitter cold under "the blue unappeasable sky".

Ann said...

That is a bleak poem. Bleak as the winter. Thanks for the link.